This big pistol had a lot of strikes against it up to this point. It’s very hard to cock, the trigger-pull is too long and creepy, the gun failed to achieve its rated velocity and the breech is tight. Today, you’ll see how it did on the range, and I think most of my concerns are going by the wayside. This kind of turnaround doesn’t happen that often, as readers of this blog know only too well. We often get a sense of how well or poorly a gun is going to do in the early stages of testing. And this one looked like it was headed downhill. But after you see the results on paper, I think you’ll have to agree with me that the Hatsan Supercharger is an airgun to consider.

Sighting in
Let’s get right to it. I elected to shoot at 10 meters because I had no idea what was in store for me, and I didn’t want to shoot the furniture (again). There were only three customer reviews of this pistol when I was ready to test, and two of them had no useful information. Only one person commented on accuracy, and he said he could get 2-inch groups shooting offhand at 25 yards. Since he didn’t mention how many shots were in those groups, I didn’t give his report a lot of credibility, other than to hope that this test would turn out well.

I used a two-hand hold, with my forearms resting on a sandbag and both hands extended in front of the bag. So the hold was very steady. With a powerful pistol like this, the recoil is pretty violent. It can factor into where the pellet goes, so your hold has to be very consistent. If it is, you’ll group as tight as the gun can — not unlike an M1911A1 Colt pistol that also bounces a lot when it fires. The secret, if there is one, is to always “bounce” the shot in the same way.

Holding the gun this way gained me two big advantages. First, the fiberoptic sights went black, giving me a precision dark sight picture instead of a vague glowing array of dots. And second, the heavy, creepy trigger didn’t matter as much. The hold was so secure that I was able to wait out the very long pull — except for a couple times that I’ll note.

JSB Exact 15.9-grain dome
I began with the JSB Exact 15.9-grain dome for no particular reason. The first pellet landed several inches above and to the right of the center of the 10-meter pistol bull, so I put 12 clicks of down elevation and left the windage alone. The next shot hit the upper right edge of the bull, so I shot two more to see whether the gun could group or not. When I saw that it could, I decided to complete the 10-shot group. Seven additional shots completed this first group, and I didn’t bother looking until I went downrange to change the target. When I did, two things jumped out at me. First, nine of the 10 shots were in a tight cluster that told me this pistol wants to shoot. And second, I noticed that the amount the group had dropped from the first shot was about what I expected the 12 clicks to do. Perhaps, these sights are very precise and can be trusted? That’s what I thought at this point.

This is the first target. Nine of the 10 JSB Exact domed pellets went into a tight group, and I can’t explain the lower one. The 9 shots measure 0.663 inches between centers, while the entire group measures 1.411 inches. This looks encouraging!

Seeing how far 12 clicks had dropped the group the first time, I dialed in 6 more clicks of down and 3 clicks of left, hoping to center the next group. I shot the same pellet as before and didn’t bother looking through the spotting scope for the entire 10 rounds. My fourth shot was a called flier that I saw land high in the white. When I went down to pull the target I was treated to a very tight group with 3 shots that had strayed. The called flier was the farthest away from the group and 2 lower shots were just from me not holding as well as I should have. This group, coupled with the first one, told me this pistol can shoot.

Another encouraging group. This one is larger than the first but not by much. The 9 that are together measure 0.978 inches between centers, while shot 10 opens it to 1.872 inches.

Second pellet
Now that I’ve established a baseline for the gun, I tried the lighter JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellet. Unlike the first pellet, I could see that this one was scattering all around the bull, even without looking through the spotting scope. And, sure enough, when I went t0o examine the target, the group was much larger. So, there’s a clear difference between these two pellets — even though they’re both domes and both made by JSB.

They’re all in the bull, but not as good a group as the 15.9-grain domes. This is 10 JSB Exact RS pellets, and they measure 1.607 inches between centers.

After seeing this target, I wondered if this open group was just due to the difference in the pellets or was I wearing out from cocking this pistol so many times? After all, it does take 58 lbs. to cock it, and that, coupled with the general strain of concentration from shooting, can tire you out. One way to find out if it was the pellet or me was to shoot another group with the 15.9-grain Exact dome that had already done so well.

This last group of 15.9-grain domes shows that I’m getting tired, but also that this pellet does group better than the RS. The 2 highest shots in the white were both called fliers. The low right shot was not called.

And this final group does demonstrate that I am getting tired, but also that the 15.9-grain Exact pellet is better in this pistol than the Exact RS. It’s so nice to have a decisive result like this because it doesn’t leave any doubt. The group measures 1.435 inches, with 9 shots in 1.015 inches.

Final evaluation
If you want a powerful spring-piston air pistol, the Hatsan Supercharger is one I can recommend. In .22 caliber, it delivers over 7 foot-pounds of muzzle energy with an accurate pellet, which puts it right up there in the same power class as the Beeman P1 and the RWS Diana LP8. Don’t think that it’s anywhere near as refined as those two pistols; but in terms of power and accuracy, it does deliver.

When I started this report, I said that if this pistol could deliver on accuracy it would be a best buy. Even though it doesn’t make its advertised power, it’s still a powerhouse…and, indeed, it is a best buy at the price. However, if you get it, you’re going to have to do your part to get the performance it offers.

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Me first! I wasn’t holding out too much hope for the accuracy of this one so it’s nice to see. Yes, I experienced the strain of concentration myself. Overstaring shots is not one of my weaknesses, but after the 500 round extravaganza at the range on Saturday, I was wiped out for the rest of the day. I probably did not notice the effort as much as I might have because of the raging turmoil within…

Speaking of which, problem is solved with the Enfield!! Just in time for my trip! The gunsmith warned me to be extra-careful with the magazine feed lips because they are stamped metal and liable to break off. I went in with the care of a neurosurgeon, bending the lips ever so very slightly. You couldn’t even see the difference, but those rounds are feeding easily now. Watching those rounds chamber like a poisonous snake sliding into its hole was mighty gratifying I can tell you. I have become mini-Vince, one eighth the actual size! And on that note, I’ll wish everyone a Merry Christmas and good shooting.

Well done, Matt. I learned from my first year of target shooting that the “ears” of the magazine do indeed need to be adjusted somewhat to make sure the ammo you want to use will feed properly. But my experience was with a .22 pistol, not this hoary 303 Enfield, so I kept quiet and didn’t want to offer any advice since I had no experience here. With the .22 and the instructions that came with the mag I bought, they said to spread the forward part of the lips if the round fed low and squeeze the lips together if the round was feeding high but as you said, very gently and very fine adjustments.

If you were to shoot this pistol off-hand, what type of gripping arrangement might work best? It’s heavy, and has a fair amount of recoil and lateral torque twist from the shot. My Browning 800 Express is similar in design but seems to be difficult to control in off-hand shooting.

Now that is a pleaseant surprise. I’m glad to see something work right. I don’t think I could tolerate the cocking effort but at least this demonstrates that a good shooting pistol at a moderate price is possible. I don’t know why the cocking effort has to be so hard to achieve this 600-700fps so I do hope Hatsan can can make one of these that’ll be less tiring to shoot.

Is that normal for both a .22 and a .177 to have the same cocking effort or is that an oversight on the specs?
-Chuckj

There was no way I could cock this sucker… Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to make a cocking aid out of a length of 7/8″ OD copper pipe. I painted the inside of an 8″ piece of pipe with construction adhesive to reduce scratching, wrapped some grip tape to the outside, nibbled a small notch for the front sight. Much betterer, as they say.

Howdy Mr. B.B.
I know what a flier is, I shoot “very creative” 10 shot groups of ‘em all day long!?! What’s the difference between a flier & a called flier? Can I guess? A flier is not expected, but a called flier is kinda like an “ignosecond”? That very brief moment of time when your hand leaves the door handle & you see your keys are still in the ignition? In other words you know before the shot even hits the paper it’s gonna miss, cuz something was wrong with your execution. Right track? I’m sure you’ve explained this before & don’t wanna waste your time, so could ya just lemme know where ta find the answer, please?
If I don’t type at ya before, Merry Christmas to you, Ms. Edith & the Gang.
Thanx to ya’lll.
Beaz

About 12 or so years ago, Tom & I were at Atlantic Guns in Silver Spring, Maryland, doing one of their 2-day airgun clinics. They brought in a whole bunch of airguns and associated accys (more than what they usually carried), and we helped sell airguns, did demonstrations and also had a target set up in the store.

So, Tom was showing people the Walther PPK/S BB pistol. He set up a new target over the silent pellet trap and started to shoot. I was totally blown away by his superb shooting. But before I could say anything, he apologized for the crummy group. That’s when I piped up and said that I thought he was deliberately shooting that way because he was not trying for a tight group…he was actually drawing a picture on the target using pellets. Honest-to-goodness, it looked like something they did in the Buffalo Bill Wild West show! I really did believe that he was drawing an American Indian with a headdress (and that’s what it looked like)

Howdy Ms. Edith, Thanx for sharin’, I’m honored. Ain’t that good…yet. After a session on the “Jr. Sniper Trainin’ Range”, I play connect the dots & have “created” an elephant with a trunk where his tail should be, a mermaid with a few extra parts & a 2 headed 3 eared bunny. Wuz out Christmas shoppin’ last weekend & took a wrong turn, wound up in a modern art gallery & from what I saw, I could frame my targets, cut off one’a my ears, call myself Vincent Van D’oh & sell ‘em fer big buckz. All proceeds would go to the TX for Beaz fund. Wanna buy one?

I’ll admit, again, I’m not much of a pistol guy but I really don’t get this Hatsan Supercharger. I read the reviews on PA’s site trying to determine what attracted the purchasers to this pistol. One guy claimed 2″ groups offhand at 25 yards. Is he actually talking about the Hatsan Supercharger?

I know B.B. can shoot a pistol accurately and don’t think he could group 5 shots offhand at 25 yards under 2″ with this one. Cocking effort that peaks at 60 lbs. and a ho hum trigger??!! Sorry, but those groups at 33 feet don’t get my dollars.

I don’t get the best buy part and I don’t get who the buyers are for this pistol. Is this all about power?

The short history of the Falke was interesting to me as well. Sounds like it was almost lost to time. Glad to hear my timing was good for you. Good timing isn’t my strong suit. Hope you’ll let us know which issue of Shotgun News the Falke article will be published in when you know.

Kinda ignerunt when it come ta fine art, Picasso, Van Gogh, pistachio, I can’t tell the difference. My velvet Elvis & my framed dogs playin’ poker is pretty high falutin’ stuff ta me. So could use your help if I do pursue this artsy fartsy career thing. ‘Course if that don’t work out we could always do a stand up comedy routine & call it: Snooze on first. Hey, at least we’re crackin’ each other up!?! Thanx for playin’.

I bought this gun and very happy with it. Actually, the only thing I was unhappy about was that PyramidAir sold me a case that really isnt big enough for it, because you have to keep the gun half-cocked and that’s not even with the cocking extender/aide on, which really is necessary, it cannot be cocked by me without it. Anyhow – some asked why this gun? The power plain and simple. Both the RWS and the Beeman Mr. Pelletier mentioned do NOT have the power of this gun in my experience. This has dispatched squirrels humanely, whereas the others I was not nearly as happy with, the Beeman felt so good to shoot but ultimately weak in power. The cocking of this gun is VERY difficult to be sure, my 12 year old son and wife, who are both strong, cant do it. That is the only gripe I have. I find it to be accurate, powerful, good-looking and fun. The scope PyramydAir mounted works great.

I think i’ll pass on this gun. I’ve tried other springer pistols and didn’t like them. I do like my pcp 2240 pistol though. I still have to figure out how to shore up the valves so it can be pumped to 2000psi without blowing everything out the back of the gun. It seems 1500 is the outside limit at best.

So true. But I figure if crosman can figure it out with the discovery I can figure it out on a smaller scale since that is what I do. I won’t be actually handling the thing until I know it’s safe and i sure won’t be behind it should something go wrong. If things do go wrong the air pressure will shoot the air valve and everything behind it out the back. I won’t be anywhere near that area. I’m doing this specifically because I built a gun for a customer and told him “Do not put over 1500 psi in the gun. In fact, stay around 1000 psi for safety.” He took it to a paintball place and had them hook it to a compressor and tried for 3000 psi. It did not end well for the gun. So I plan on trying to replicate his stupidity to see what it takes to do what he did and then work out how this became my fault. Then I need to figure out how to make the pressure cylinder more sturdy for safety. I’m not some teenager trying to do it with no knowledge of ballistics, air pressures and how these things work. I’m actually a professional airgun builder. (disclaimer: Kids, don’t try to do what I do in my shop. It can be unsafe and cause injuries if not done correctly.)

Anonymous,
A cheater bar sounds like a good idea. I don’t know if these really exist but would one want to make sure the cheater bar went on the outside of the barrel and not on the inside? I’d think inside could damage the crown or scar the inside of the barrel some way.
-Chuckj

A cheater might help. One could be made from some PVC pipe that would work but be careful not to damage the front sight while using the cheater or your accuracy will degrade so all you can do is hit a target about the size of a barn. Also don’t let the cheater slip. I don’t know if this gun has an anti-bear trap mechanism or if the barrel is metal or just cheap plastic, but if it snaps back if your cheater slips off the gun you may bend a metal barrel or shatter a plastic one.

Hello B.B. and Fellow Airgun Aficionados. I find it refreshing to read Doc’s opinion following Kevin’s. Personally, I have to go along with Kevin. It is just too hard to cock. For me, that is of utmost importance, as I do 98% of my shooting at paper targets and 2 inch plastic pill bottles. ( Cold and headache pill bottles). When I shoot, I like to get into a groove. It feels like time stands still when everything comes together. This is the discipline I learned when practising archery. I usually shoot 100-200 pellets in a session. I do not think this would be possible for me using the Hatsan 25 Supercharger. Maybe pest elimination at 20 meters or less. However, I will stress that this is my opinion. I am happy that Doc gets pleasure from his. Just because it is not the gun for me, I would never slam Doc’s reasons for owning one. I am also pleased it is grouping well. This bodes well for Hatsan’s future, if they read thees reviews and make the changes people like us are addressing. They seem to have covered the range of airguns pretty well. Now if they could shed a few pounds and take care of the details, and quality control. The trigger looks like a winner on paper, but as B.B. has shown us with every spring gun tested, the reality is just not the case.
Just in case I missed it B.B., are you planning on shooting the Falk for another blog? I for one, would be interested to see the results of all the fine work. Take care.
Caio Titus

Speaking of the Falke. Volker posts often on the Falke Forum and like many Falke owners was always curious about the short production run of the Falke airguns. Volker was able to track down and talk to the son of the founder that produced the Falke airguns.

The essence of what he discovered is that the founder, Albert Föhrenbach, had a heart attack in 1957, six years or more after production began. Although he survived it, he was unable to work and as a result the company went bankrupt the following year.

Here is an edited version of Volker’s post:

After many months I have managed to get in contact with the son of Albert Föhrenbach. He is a very friendly man at the age of 62 now. I talked to him on the phone for almost an hour. (Actually Albert Föhrenbach had 2 sons but one has died already in 2000 at the age of 69)

Albert Föhrenbach was born in 1907 in the south of Germany in Mahlberg, district “Baden” as one of seven children. Later he worked as a sheet metal worker in at Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH in Friedrichshafen where he might have gotten his sense for quality.

One of those plants was a sugar refinery in Bennigsen which somehow belonged to several companies in relation to Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH. During the war he stayed there and took care of the production of warfare goods until the end of the war.

After the end of war the area there was in control of British Allies. Albert Föhrenbach had a good relationship with the officer from the British army who was in charge of making decisions about production goods after war. Later that turned into a friendship between both families until the 1980s.

Due to his good relationship with the British allies he was allowed to start production of air rifles already in 1947. Probably also in that year he bought out the former sugar refinery from the several owners that existed until then.

Also in 1947 he displayed his products at the first Hannover Messe [trade fair].

From 1946/1947 on, the business was named the Albert Föhrenbach GmbH. By 1948 Albert Föhrenbach had settled in Bennigsen and had built a house somewhere nearby.

The Albert Föhrenbach GmbH had from the 1950s on about 300 employees. It probably was the biggest, or at least one of the biggest, companiess in Bennigsen as there were only 3800-4000 inhabitants in those days.

The order books were full in the following years.

In 1957 Albert Föhrenbach had a heart attack which, according to his son, was caused by too much work.

He survived the heart attack but he wasn´t able to work anymore. His sons were still too young to do something and so production started struggling because the organizer was missing.

In 1958 Albert Föhrenbach GmbH had to declare bankcruptcy and was dissolved in 1960-1961. Production finally had stopped in 1959.

Albert Föhrenbach died in 1966 because of his heart disease; his wife died in 2005.

His son was not able to tell me much about the production order or other things but he said the number of rifles produced was probably several thousands if you count all models. That would fit to the e.g. several hundreds of Modell 80 and several hundreds of Modell 90 we know of.

This information is EXTREMELY well-timed, as I am writing a feature article on the Falke 90 for the March 20, 2013 issue of Shotgun News. I want to document the fine restoration work that was done on the stock by Doug Phillips, the great overhaul Vince did on the action, the general makeup and performance of the rifle, plus how it compares to it’s cousins, the Airsporter and Hakim, and finally the history of the company.

This pistol reminds me of an old Winchester target air-pistol that I got back in the early-mid 70′s. I let someone use it and they ruined it. They loaded a pellet in backwards and it got stuck. They then continued to load and fire more pellets into it until it was full. I eventually got all the pellets out, but then it wouldn’t fire anymore. This was a long time ago, so I eventually just threw it away. I wish I hadn’t.

I believe the Diana 5G was also badged and sold as a Beeman 700 and a Hy-Score 825T. I think it was the Diana model 5 or model 6 that was badged and sold as a Winchester 363. I don’t believe the Diana 5G was sold as a Winchester model but I could be wrong. Hope someone will correct me if I am.

Kind of relieved with the final results I like my Hatsan Model – 25 – supercharger. I did pick up some of the 18.12 gr JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy Diabolo pellets after reading part two and I see what you mean about the Crosman Premier pellets being a tight fit in the Hatsan Model-25. How does the this effect things, should I stop using the Crosman pellets for fear I may damage my gun? Other than a few test fires haven’t tested out the JSB pellets been having to much fun with the new Beeman P17. Somehow it found its way into my cart. Just couldn’t pass on a gun you said “delivers several hundred dollars of value in a $40 package”

As for the case I bought the Plano Protector Pistol Case PL1404-02 from Pyramyd. The Hatsan Mod.25 just fits at an angle without the cocking aid.

I just bought one of these monsters from Pyramyd and yes, it’s a bear to cock, even with the “cocking aid”. After 10 rounds I was worn out….cocking weight/pressure is around 60lbs. I went looking in the garage for an “extended cocking aid”. I found a piece of aluminum tubing that fit perfectly around the small barrel extension. It worked fine until it broke after 22 shots. What I did discover was moving the barrel with a really long cocking aid puts tons of pressure against the hand that’s holding the pistol grip.

However, it shot straight right out of the box with iron sights. At 10M, all of my shots except one were in the black.

I’ll be back in the garage, looking for something made out of really thick plastic or steel this time. Plus, I’ll adjust the trigger so i isn’t so god-awful long pull.

After rooting around in the garage, I found that a 1-foot long piece of 7/8″ ID Schedule 40 PVC pipe will fit over the Hatsan 25 “cocking attachment” and leave no marks. Then, you insert said 7/8″ ID pipe into the joint between your leg of choice and your abdomen and cock the weapon using the grip handle on the weapon, rather than trying to leverage the barrel.

In other words, don’t try and “break the barrel” over. Use the grip on the weapon. It’s the same technique outlined in the Ruger break-barrel rifle manual, only backwards.

I have had this gun since last Feb. and thought I would pass along something intresting. I had a bug buster 3-9 scope on this gun with the Leapers Accushot 1-Pc Bi-directional Offset Mount w/1″ Rings. The other day the gun threw the scope off. Luckily it was on a rest and I caught it. the mount was not loose as I first thought. The mounts metal edges that fit into the dovetail slivered off. The first milimeter or so of the metal that goes in to the dovetail on both sides just came off. I assume this happened due to the violent action of the anti recoil. Its a shame because with the crossman stock and that bugbuster this was a light and VERY accurate setup. I have taken to using the open sights because I dont want to take any chances. I am forcing myself to learn to get the best accuracy possible with the stock attached. Its nowhere near as effortless as the scope. Also, I had to stop using the RWS hobbies as they were clipping the cocking aid. They were keyholing and upon inspection the marks in the aid were clear. I dont seem to get the clipping with the crossman hollow points

In your review you mentioned that this pistol might make a nice carbine.
It seems like Hatsan has been reading your blog because I found the
Hatsan 25 supertact when I was searching for an air pistol.
I would love to hear (read?) your thoughts on the supertact if you manage to get your hands on one for testing.

I recently bought the browning 800 express it quit cocking. although I liked the gun over all I did find the sights to be a little lacking in quality but worked. when I returned the gun too air pyramid I was told that the gun was out of stock. after more research I decided too have them send me the hatson 25 super charger in stead. this in my opinion was a better choice. the gun is some what of a challenge too cock. even with the barrel extender. I found that a 3/4 deep well socket with a 4 inch extender with a soft cloth tucked inside of the socket makes the gun much easier to cock. I am able too cock the gun with out the socket/extender. but after a 100 shots or so my hand became quite sore the next day. the socket/extender eliminates this. this gun is very powerful as was the 800 express. but the hatson seems much more accurate able too shoot groups inside of a dime at 30ft.. love the gun my shooting sessions average 200-300 rounds per session.

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